I had been thinking about a SC-trip, but will likely pass for now – seems car-rental prices, and even hotels, have gotten significantly more expensive (but mainly car-rental prices) – I don’t mind spending $$$ but hate overpaying and will likely pass on a trip for now.
How are you guys that travel handling these expensive prices – you just pay it or have you found a way around them?
Get yourself a company that will pay most of the hotel and transport fees is a good way to go.
But really, depends I guess on your budget & destination. Not much possible in a big city with limited funds.
I've taken a good # of SC-trips in the past, it's just that prices feel borderline gouging right now - and it's not an issue of not enough funds; I just don't like paying/overpaying thru the nose.
I wouldn't go anywhere right now if it's just for clubs. Had trips planned last year when everything was cheap but that didn't work out. This year I've not traveled much, and when I did really didn't club because it was a downer.
I've never stopped traveling during the pandemic and did for both business and pleasure. A lot of travel pricing depends on the area. For example, Phoenix is a good strip club city and prices always drop for lodging in the summer. You can get get member rates at Marriott and Hilton for under $100 per night at nice hotels in nice locations.
I am also able to use business rates for personal travel so that helps in my case. I also plan personal time on business trips when I travel to Florida for work.
Papi, as Wall mentioned, traveling just for clubs right now probably doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm currently on a road trip and I'm finding that clubs in a lot of areas are hurting right now. Many are still busy on weekends, but dead during the week due to a lack of business and casual leisure travelers. Some clubs are even limiting their hours during the week or closing altogether on some days. You'll likely not find conditions almost anywhere else to be as good as they are in FL right now.
As far as costs, there's really no way around the extra freight. Flights are more expensive, gas has gone up and hotels are holding the line more on their rates. With that said I've been finding some decent last minute deals on priceline, but not like they used to be. The key is to wait until a few days to a week before you go, when priceline gets more motivated to move unsold rooms. The risk to that approach though is that you could be SOL, or get gouged, if you're going to an area that is selling out of rooms.
Oh, and some clubs are also struggling because people who historically frequented them after work are still not going to their offices. Add the lack of travelers and you get dead clubs on weekdays in a lot of cities.
It is a drag. But I hate to tell you this. High prices are here to stay. Not to get political in this thread, but the Fed is not controlling inflation at all.
Papi, Go to Tijuana. No need to rent a car. And I don't think prices at Hong Kong or Cascadas have gone up that much yet. But that is coming.
On both the airline and rental car front, business is spiking rapidly back to pre-pandemic levels, and companies are playing catch-up. Previously idled planes are being put back in service, flight crews need to be retrained and requalified in many cases (per federal regulations) which takes time.
On the rental car front, automakers are behind the curve due to semiconductor supply shortage.(notice how car dealer lots look like ghost towns.) Limited supply (new car availability) coupled with a spike in demand = perfect recipe for increased prices.
If you do take a road trip, Tuscl eagerly awaits a Papi "War and Peace" novel review on the clubs visited.
Wait until about a week after Labor Day. Summer vacation and travel season will be over, and prices should come down slightly.
@Papi_Chulo
Have you considered taking Amtrak’s Auto Train from Virginia to Florida?
@Papi_Chulo
Forgot to put the link:
:D
The Democrats are trying to destroy the economy with inflation. If you lived through the 70s, you know where we are headed.
^ yeap - and likely these high prices are here to stay even if inflation levels-off at some point - unlikely manufacturers/service-providers will lower prices back down even if inflation levels off
I traveled in late June, before the Delta variant pushed infection rates up.
The flight price wasn’t bad, and the seats were all full.
As far as ground transportation - I used ride shares and I rented a car. The Uber was a decent price. The rental car was reasonable as well. I used a corporate rental rate, and I think that deflated the price quite a bit.
Sadly, I ended up working for most of my getaway. The hotel was expensive, and I was fortunate that my daughters found enough to do on their own.
I think travel was returning, before the Delta variant spread. I’m not sure if folks will cancel plans anymore, if they are vaccinated. It may be different for certain segments of the population - in more susceptible age groups.
In early July, travel definitely was up. I believe at one point travel reached 50% of the pre-covid rates. If this Delta thing is a spike, followed by a decline, then the fall and holiday times might be very busy travel times.
I was in Chicago last week. Flight was usual price. Hotel was less than last visit. But car rental was $460 for three days. Considerably more than ever before. No, I didn't buy additional insurance or any add ons. $120 of it was just Chicago taxes.
Prices are insane now. I flew round trip in May, Boston to Miami non-stop on American $79 total. The same trip this august is $448. We ended up using miles for our strip club trip to Florida.
Forgot to mention in my first reply. I was in Vegas this week and it was dead compared to 4 weeks earlier. I walked up to one of the big bars on the floor of the MGM and there were maybe 3 or 4 people playing video machines at the bar and the bartenders looked bored. In early July you couldn't find a seat at one of the machines.
I've been traveling 8 weeks in a row and this is the first time I've seen an abundance of open parking spaces in a while.
Don't know if it's covid or the fact that schools are starting to open.
I traveled recently to the east coast and the most expensive part of the trip was the rental car. Insanely expensive and the fees for cancelling or shortening the reservation meant I was stuck with it. You can still find good airfare deals but the hotels seem to be returning to pre-covid rates. I am considering a trip to Tampa as I hear great things about the clubs there. I will uber everywhere. Should be cheaper.
I'm traveling to North Carolina (Raleigh) later this month for a family event. The flight was not cheap.
PC: And your own vehicle can’t get you to and from?
Timing is definitely the tricky part since the Delta variant has curbed what in May/June seemed like a steady return to (almost) normal.
In reading reviews, Vegas seems like a "wait and see" right now since the Nevada indoor mask mandate enacted on July 30 is just such a buzzkill and as others are noting, it seems to be slow right now.
Florida definitely seems to be best state for a SC trip but even there, Mons Venus and the other Dale Mabry clubs seem like they are going through a decline (though 2001 has had some decent reviews).
In terms of prices, it doesn't seem like they will improve any time soon so the best strategy would seem to be to adjust one's consumption level (e.g. get 10 dances at $40 where previously you would have gotten 20 at $20; your classic adjustment along the demand curve). Flights, hotel, car rentals, etc. - I think you just gotta eat those extra costs.
Again, timing is so tricky because on the one hand, waiting for the Delta variant to pass could just mean another worse variant comes in the fall which grinds everything to an even worse halt or things could open up making SC trips more appealing in the fall. Personally, I'm skeptical about things opening up even then.
If truly itchy, a strike-while-the-iron-is-kinda-hot approach to Florida on the weekend seems your best bet. If so, hope you find clubs where the grinds/LD contact are at pre-pandemic levels...which will be no easy feat.
“… as Wall mentioned, traveling just for clubs right now probably doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm currently on a road trip and I'm finding that clubs in a lot of areas are hurting right now …”
I peruse the daily-reviews and keep up w/ clubs-of-interest – and yeah I’m aware clubs are at least more hit-or-miss these days and there are a # that may not be currently worth visiting at all – per the reviews the out-of-area clubs of interest to me seem a bit more hit or miss but not necessarily not worth visiting at all.
“… Wait until about a week after Labor Day. Summer vacation and travel season will be over, and prices should come down slightly …”
I actually had been looking at car-rental prices for the week of Sept 10th and Sept 17th; I did see a “bit” of a decline in price but not that much and still way more than what a rental-car should be
“… And your own vehicle can’t get you to and from …”
I live in Miami and was planning to hit clubs up north (Philly; NJ; DC) – too long a drive that I wouldn’t make unless I really had to
Hotels and airlines are a bit more pricey in some cases but nothing crazy/outrageous; the biggest issue for me is the car-rental costs – seems unlikely car-rental costs will come down anytime soon – as others have mentioned they are in short-supply – from what I’ve heard many car-rental-companies sold-off a lot of their fleet during the pandemic and haven’t been able to replenish their fleet b/c of the difficulties in building new cars (chip-shortage as has been mentioned).
Living in South FL I have a good # of clubs to hit although my go-to small-black-dives have been meh to bad – and as I had mentioned in threads over the last year or two, I’ve been kinda burned-out w/ SCing over the last 2+ years – I wanted to take some SC-trips just to check out some clubs I read about on TUSCL, and also to get away from Miami and the same-o same-o for a few days – in the past when I wanted to get away from Miami I’d do the 3-hour-drive to Cocoa Beach and hit the old Inner Room which I used to enjoy and Cocoa Beach was in many ways a world away from Miami; but Inner Room is no-more and it was my main-reason for hitting Cocoa Beach – I really “don’t have to” make a SC-trip; it was more of a little getaway – I can make some trips in my car to other parts of FL and check out some other SCs but there aren’t any other SCs in FL outside of SoFlo that really pique my interest (e.g. good black clubs or good mixed-clubs with a good # ebonies).
I’ll probably put off making an out-of-state SC-trip for now given the combo of high-prices which I don’t wanna pay even though I can; the clubs not being up to pre-Covid levels yet; and me currently not being really-hard-up for SCing (the trips were mainly for a temp change of scenary).
Thanks for all the comments.
Car rentals has been fucked up. I always book through USAA. I brought down a two week rental at 1800 to 800 just because I did that. Hotels might be a little more. Hell I don't know, how long do we live, if you got a pay a little more just for an adventure fuck it. For me I only have so many windows to do stuff like that.
@Papi_Chulo
I have been using public transportation and my bike 🚲 in Los Angeles, San Diego and in San Francisco, etc.
It is a good safe way to travel around during the day.
At night I use public transportation and Uber the last couple of miles or after hours.